Perhaps the most important thing in the IT world is that once a device is purchased, it is properly supported, especially in terms of security. The recent story of the winged seahorse fish illustrates this.
Security updates do not always protect you, but they significantly reduce the attack surface, because once all patches are installed, only the so-called zero-day, i.e. undiscovered vulnerabilities, can be a problem.
But these are difficult to detect, and hopefully the good guys and gals will find the bug first, rather than the cybercriminals.
Xiaomi is not always very good at updates, but it certainly delivers security patches. Here's a list of how often you can expect them:
Monthly security patches |
Xiaomi:
|
Quarterly security patches | Xiaomi:
Redmi:
POCO:
|
source: XDA/Xiaomi
Not too surprising: there are the Mi A phones (which are no longer available, I talked about it here), and there is everyone else. This is because of the Android One program, which is all about security and a clean Android experience. These phones come with the same factory Android found on Google Pixels, no MIUI, and only a few Xiaomi apps.
For Android Enterprise recommended phones, we also find out how long they get updates - and it's pretty good:
Name of the phone | Security updates | Android system updates | Publication date | Security updates end date |
---|---|---|---|---|
Redmi Note 9 Pro | End of security updates: 2023 May Update frequency: every 90 days |
This is Android 10 This is what you will get: Android 11 |
2020-5 | 2023-5 |
Redmi 9 | Security updates end: Jun. 2023 Update frequency: every 90 days |
This is Android 10 This is what you will get: Android 11 |
2020-6 | 2023-6 |
Mi 10T Lite | Security updates end: oct 2023 Update frequency: every 90 days |
This is Android 10 This is what you will get: Android 11 |
2020-10 | 2023-10 |
Mi 10T | Security updates end: oct 2023 Update frequency: every 90 days |
This is Android 10 This is what you will get: Android 11 |
2020-10 | 2023-10 |
Mi 10T Pro | Security updates end: oct 2023 Update frequency: every 90 days |
This is Android 10 This is what you will get: Android 11 |
2020-10 | 2023-10 |
Redmi Note 10 5G | Security updates end Apr 2024 Update frequency: every 90 days |
This is Android 11 This is what you will get: Android 12 |
2021-4 | 2024-4 |
Redmi Note 10 Pro | Security updates end: Mar. 2024 Update frequency: every 90 days |
This is Android 11 This is what you will get: Android 12 |
2021-3 | 2024-3 |
Redmi Note 10S | Security updates end: Mar. 2024 Update frequency: every 90 days |
This is Android 11 This is what you will get: Android 12 |
2021-4 | 2024-4 |
Mi 11 Lite 5G | Security updates end Apr 2024 Update frequency: every 90 days |
This is Android 11 This is what you will get: Android 12 |
2021-4 | 2024-4 |
Mi 11 Ultra | Security updates end Apr 2024 Update frequency: every 90 days |
This is Android 11 This is what you will get: Android 12 |
2021-4 | 2024-4 |
Redmi 9T | End of security updates: dec. 2020 Update frequency: every 90 days |
This is Android 11 This is what you will get: Android 12 |
2020-12 | 2023-12 |
Redmi Note 10T 5G | Security updates end Apr 2024 Update frequency: every 90 days |
This is Android 11 This is what you will get: Android 12 |
2021-4 | 2024-4 |
Redmi Note 10 Pro Max | Security updates end: Mar. 2024 Update frequency: every 90 days |
This is Android 11 This is what you will get: Android 12 |
2021-3 | 2024-3 |
source: xiaomi
So you can see that if you choose the Android Enterprise recommended device, you are guaranteed updates for several years. It's worth thinking about this when you buy, because we live in an age where anyone can be a target, and where tools previously unimaginable to cybercriminals are available.